We all knew he meant it would be his last. Because he won't be Chancellor this time next year.

So Mr Brown can't afford to be unpopular right now. He needs to start off on a high note, when he takes over the Labour leadership.

Anything else is likely to mean his stay in Downing Street will be very short indeed.

Instead, he painted himself as the education chancellor, with #36 billion for education capital investment and more money going directly to headteachers to spend as they see fit – including an extra #50,000 for a typical secondary school.

Interestingly, Mr Brown seems determined finally to put some money into further education, which most politicians consider distinctly unsexy.

Sir Digby Jones is to become the Government's advisor on skills and training.

Politically, it all makes sense. Nowadays we're all supposed to care about the environment, and anyone who admits otherwise risks social ostracism.

But one suspects many of us are even more interested about the state of our local schools.

There was just one fly in the ointment – how to pay for all these goodies.

Mr Brown will have to borrow an extra #7 billion to pay for his spending plans, he admitted.